Police pensions in funding crisis

There are fears about the impact on police budgets across Scotland

The Scottish Parliament has heard allegations of a funding crisis for police pensions, with an expected shortfall next year of more than £50m.

The claim was made by Labour leader Wendy Alexander, who urged the first minister to come clean and reveal the true extent of the problem.

She said police budgets across Scotland were being plundered as a result.

First Minister Alex Salmond blamed the previous executive for the shortfall, and said action was being taken.

The debate began during First Minister's Questions, when MSPs were told there was already a forecast national shortfall of £17m in pension funds for Scotland's police forces.

Labour claimed the figure was set to rise to more than £52m next year, due to a "massive" rise in retiring officers over the next three years.

What Wendy Alexander describes as a crisis might have been developing over the last eight years when Labour was in power Alex Salmond First Minister

Ms Alexander called on Mr Salmond to publish estimates for the police pension bill for the next three years, saying that Grampian Police had already been forced to plunder its budget to cover the shortfall.

She said: "At First Minister's Questions, Alex Salmond repeatedly failed to give assurances that local authorities across Scotland would not foot the bill for the financial crisis facing all Scotland's police forces.

"It's time the SNP came clean on the true scale of the problem facing local authorities and Scotland's police forces."

Mr Salmond said the figures were already with police boards and local authorities, and discussions were already under way on how to address the issue.

Historic concordat

The first minister told MSPs: "What Wendy Alexander describes as a crisis might have been developing over the last eight years when Labour was in power."

"But the difference between this government and the last executive in addressing such issues lies in the historic concordat between local and national government."

The debate comes after the government was accused of backtracking on an election pledge to recruit 1,000 more officers.

Ministers are instead planning to take on 500 additional police.

MSPs on Holyrood's finance committee have urged the minority administration to amend its budget so it can recruit the promised number of officers.